Tesla is recalling approximately 1.6 million imported Model S, X, and 3 electric vehicles, as well as Model 3 and Y electric vehicles built in China, due to concerns with the Autopilot assisted driving feature and door latch controls.
According to Bloomberg and The Wall Street Journal, this is Tesla’s largest recall in China, affecting the vast majority of the vehicles it has sold in the nation.
The recall was issued on Friday by China’s State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR), who stated that the faults will be resolved by an over-the-air update, eliminating the need for drivers to visit a Tesla repair facility in the great majority of cases.
The recall covers a total of 1,610,105 cars built between August 2014 and December 2023, according to the SAMR.
According to filings, the NHTSA discovered that, in some cases, when a function known as Autosteer is used, “there may be an increased risk of a collision,” and that “the prominence and scope of the feature’s controls may not be sufficient to prevent driver misuse.” Autosteer is a component of Tesla’s “Basic Autopilot” package designed for use on “controlled-access highways” and may give “steering, braking, and acceleration support” to drivers in specific scenarios, according to the documents.
According to the records, Tesla disagreed with the agency’s conclusions, but agreed to release a free software upgrade to address the issue.
Autopilot safety
The regulator stated that users might misuse Autopilot, which is classified as a Level 2 assisted-driving technology, and that the recall would mitigate this safety risk.
“For vehicles within the scope of this recall, when the automatic assisted steering function is turned on, the driver may misuse the level two combined assisted driving function, increasing the risk of vehicle collision and posing a safety hazard,” the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration warned.
Tesla will separately update the software for 7,538 imported Model S and X vehicles built between October 26, 2022 and November 16, 2023, to address a problem with door latches that might open during a collision.
Tesla recalled two million vehicles in the United States last month, virtually all of which were sold in the nation, due to Autopilot safety problems, following a two-year investigation by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) that revealed Autopilot to be flawed.
Added warnings by Tesla
The recall was necessary to strengthen driver monitoring and ensure drivers were attentive when Autopilot was on. According to documents submitted by Tesla with the US government, the upgrade will boost warnings and alarms for drivers to maintain their hands on the steering wheel.
According to the SAMR, the upgrade to Autopilot systems in China would also include reminders encouraging “drivers to perform their driving duties and comply with driving regulations when this function is enabled”.
Tesla has recalled a lesser number of vehicles in China due to difficulties with seatbelts, touchscreens, and window-closing mechanisms. In the fourth quarter of last year, BYD of China eclipsed the corporation as the world’s largest seller of battery electric vehicles.
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